The Wandering Disciple

Tampa, Florida: From deep underwater caverns to the depths of the ocean, the marine habitats are home to some of the most diverse creatures in the world. At the Florida Aquarium, visitors can witness many of these fascinating creatures without ever leaving Channelside. Come follow the trail of water from the underwater spring to the deep blue ocean and encounter all of their residents along the way on this journey through the aquarium filled with over 20,000 plants and animals. The journey begins as you enter the world of the wetland. Enter the water world through a cave in an aquifer and follow waters journey through Florida springs, streams, marshes, rivers, hammocks, swamps, forest and more on the trip to the tidal basin. The eight habitats found here are home to bass, gars, ducks, alligators, otters and many more. As you make your way through these freshwater habitats, the water becomes saltier until you reach the tidal basin. Here you will encounter the next collection of a...

Orlando, Florida: AirTran Airways is a low-cost airline based in Orlando, Florida. Its fleet of 140 aircraft operate over 700 daily flights to 70 destinations in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. The history of AirTran actually begins several years before the name AirTran. In 1992, the low-cost airline ValuJet was formed. ValuJet suffered scores of safety setbacks, culminating in the FAA to seek removal of their flight certification in ealy 1996. However the process was lost in the government bureaucracy and ValuJet suffered its largest accident in May 1996 when ValuJet Flight 592 crashed in the Florida Everglades, killing 110. The crash combined with the substandard safety records forced ValuJet into financial ruins and they were purchased by Airways Corporation in 1997. The airline was rebranded as AirTran Airways and the company headquarters was relocated to Orlando in November 1997. The original model for AirTran was to provide low cost flights to Orlando...

Tampa, Florida: Tucked away in the hustle and bustle of city life in downtown Tampa lies the home to over 2,000 exotic animals, Lowry Park Zoo. Rated the number one family friendly zoo in the US by Child Magazine and Parents Magazine, Lowry Park Zoo is also home to State of Florida’s Wildlife Conservation Center. Originally opened in 1957, Lowry Park Zoo shared property with Fairyland. The park combined animal attractions with a winding maze of fairy tales and children rides. By the 1980’s the property came in to such disrepair and the need to be repaired. The Lowry Park Zoo Association was formed in 1982 with a mission to raise awareness of the zoo and to raise the funds needed for renovation. The efforts were successful and in 1988, the renovated zoo was unveiled. Today’s Lowry Park Zoo is 56 acres of animal habitats that provides home to over 2,000 animals along with rides, shopping, dining, educational venues and an animal hospital. Lowery Park Zoo’s animal habitats are orga...

Tampa, Florida: Deep in the African jungle lies the Congo area of Busch Gardens Tampa. The Congo is home to one of the parks super coasters Kumba along with the white water rapids of the Congo River. In the older section of Busch Gardens and one of the original lands, the Congo has witnessed a renovation in recent years to transform the area. Originally opened in 1976 as home to Busch Gardens first roller coaster, the Python. The Python took guests on a 70 foot drop into double corkscrews at speeds of 50 mph. The Python remained in operation until 2006 when it was removed for the Jungala expansion project. In 1977, the Congo was completed with the addition of Claw Island. Claw Island was home to a pair of Bengal Tigers. Located on an island surrounded by a moat, the tigers enjoyed playing in the water and the many toys in their habitat. In 1982 a pair of White Tigers were added to the exhibit. The tiger population grew with the birth of three white tigers in 1988. Claw Island w...

Miami, Florida: We arrived into Miami early in the morning and it could not be early enough as we could not wait to get off the SS Prison Boat. Well its not like we had a choice, since my wife was still “infected” she was given priority disembarkment and we were off the ship quickly. Not sure if it was because they didn’t want to get anyone else sick or just because they were tired of hearing us complain but it didn’t really matter since we were free. We gathered our luggage in the claim area and began the drive back home. The events of the last few days of the cruise really tarnished what started out as a remarkable vacation. Its hard to believe the amount of power they give to one person with no secondary opinion available. Seems like there should be a checks and balance system in place which there was not at the time. Once we returned home, I contacted Royal Caribbean’s corporate office and advised them of the experience. The actions of the crew were justified in their min...

Nassau, Bahamas: Once ruled by pirates, Nassau is the capital city of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Located on New Providence island, it is about 175 miles from Florida and its proximity to the US, makes it a popular stop for cruise itineraries. The area was originally known as Charles Town prior to being burnt down by the Spanish in 1684. The region was rebuilt in 1695 and was renamed Nassau in honor of King William III. By the early 1700’s the island was declared a pirate republic and pirate’s Thomas Barrow and Benjamin Hornigold were declared its governors. The island quickly became home to many famous pirates including Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Calico Jack and Anne Bonny. The pirates controlled the island until British troops lead by Captain Woodes Rogers regained control of the island in 1718. Blackbeard was overthrown as magistrate, ending the Privateers Republic and transferring control back to the British. British lost control of the island briefly in 1776 as the ...

Nassau, Bahamas: Today was the second day of the quarantine period and the ship had pulled into port in Nassau. We were originally scheduled to do the Nassau and Paradise Island excursion but thanks to the restrictions put in place by the medical staff, we were unable to attend. Today we were extremely grateful to have had a balcony room so at least we could get some fresh air. But the four walls of the room were closing in quickly and the stateroom began to feel more like a prison. As the quarantined continued, the rudeness and hostility of the staff increased. Our meals arrived to the stateroom cold and when asking for drinks, all we were told is they couldn’t do that. Well if we weren’t restricted to our rooms, we would have gotten it ourselves, but it wasn’t an option. By the end of the day, I was so furious with the situation I could not wait to return home in the morning. As the sunset over Nassau, we began the short trip back to Miami and off the prison boat. For photo...